Clandestine, tasty and sublime. History and virtues of Fossa cheese

The origins

The tradition of maturing cheese in 'fosses' most likely dates back to the late Middle Ages, although there are no written traces connected to this technique until the end of the 15th century.

In the Malatesta archives dating back to the time of the Lordship of Rimini (1295 – 1500) there are agricultural contracts (dated 1497 and 1498) which describe the custom of renting the grain storage pits for the summer-autumn maturing of the cheese.

According to that source, the pits guaranteed, among other things, relative safety from the raids of armed troops looking for libations to plunder; starting from this news Fossa cheese is attributed a clandestine charm that still survives today in local peasant memories.

How much truth is there in this reported tradition? Does Fossa cheese really owe its genesis to the turbulent political situation of the Italy of the Lordships, when the borders were continually redrawn by the kings of half of Europe and frequently crossed by the troops of each faction?

The pits

The suspicion that the tradition of pit cheese dates back to before the fifteenth century comes precisely from those who - in more recent times - have tried to study the historical origins of the 'fosse', even before the cheese that is matured there.

These particular pits dug into the ground seem to derive from the ancient Roman technique of ice conservation, which was widespread in antiquity and then fell into disuse in medieval times. The Roman neviere seem to closely describe the structure of these tuff 'pits' in which in modern times the farmers of central Italy used to store surplus grain, this time certainly to protect it from raids and confiscations, but also to preserve it as best as possible from bad weather and rodents in view of the following season.

How it happened that these pits were used to mature the cheese is not known, nor when, at least not with precision; but it seems pretty certain that the homeland of Fossa cheese is the country of Sogliano al Rubicone, between Forlì and Cesena.

The 'pit' therefore consists of a large cylindrical hole in the tuff, dug underground and then covered with a wooden trap door and sand. The walls and bottom of the pit are insulated with straw and wooden boards, ensuring a stagnation-free environment with a constant temperature.

What may instead strike the observer's imagination is the way in which the cheese wheels are crammed into the pit, stacked one on top of the other until they fall out of shape during the following 100 days of maturing.

Seasoning and taste

The 'magic' of Fossa cheese concerns precisely those three months of underground maturation.

The anaerobic fermentation processes that are created in that environment guarantee the cheese truly peculiar organoleptic qualities.
Cheese fats and proteins are reduced to easier assimilable elements, respectively fatty acids and protein peptides, while lactose is degraded by fermentation, making pit cheese valuable for cheese enthusiasts who are allergic to it.

The paste is hard but crumbly, light yellow sometimes with ocher veins, and once purchased the wheel must be kept in the refrigerator in a humid environment, possibly in a cheese dish or in any case wrapped in various layers of cotton and paper, to prevent the cheese from drying out losing its aroma.

The taste of Fossa cheese can vary, depending on the milk used in production.

Pure pecorino cheeses give very strong and often more aromatic flavours, which recall the mosses and mineral components received from the sandstone of the pits.

Cheeses that also mix cow's milk result in flavors that initially appear more delicate on the palate, only to then give a discreet persistence which turns to acid and turns to bitter in the aftertaste. Giving Fossa cheese a truly singular characteristic that certainly cannot fail to intrigue the most hardened cheese enthusiast, like any gourmet who is truly worthy of the name.

If you have similar tastes to mine you should certainly consider that Fossa cheeses are unbeatable when paired with honey, jams and balsamic vinegars; and are therefore perfect for small tastings between meals and for tasty aperitifs but refined.